Nikhil K. Chanani, MD

As director of inpatient services for the Heart Institute, I am committed to ensuring that every patient and family receives exceptional, seamless care throughout their hospital journey. My clinical background as a pediatric cardiologist and cardiac critical care physician gives me a unique perspective on caring for children with complex congenital and acquired heart disease, from admission through discharge. I work closely with multidisciplinary teams across the hospital to strengthen collaboration, enhance patient safety, advance quality initiatives and create the best possible experience for patients and families.

Throughout my career, I have believed that children achieve the best outcomes when their care is built on partnership. Patients, families and care teams each bring valuable expertise, and my goal is to ensure every child receives the highest-quality, most compassionate care we can provide. Hospitals can feel overwhelming, and I am dedicated to creating an environment where families feel supported, informed and safe.

In addition to my clinical work, I am passionate about improving pediatric cardiac care on a local, national and international level. I have held leadership roles with organizations including the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC4) and the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society (PCICS), helping advance research, quality improvement, education and patient safety initiatives. I am especially energized by efforts that enable teams to deliver better outcomes and continuously improve the care we provide.

What I love most about pediatric cardiac critical care is the opportunity to solve complex problems as part of a team. Every child is different, and caring for children with heart disease requires collaboration, creativity and a commitment to learning. I am fortunate to work alongside some of the most caring, insightful and talented professionals in medicine, and I learn something new every day.

One of the greatest privileges of pediatrics is caring for families during some of the most important moments of their lives. Witnessing their resilience, courage and strength is what inspires me to keep striving for excellence. It's also one of the few professions where you might spend time with a therapy dog in the morning, celebrate a milestone with an ice cream sundae in the afternoon and end the day with Bingo.

Outside of work, I enjoy traveling with my family, discovering great local restaurants, cheering on soccer with my children and playing tennis. I also have a well-known weakness for ice cream and rarely pass up an opportunity to enjoy a scoop.